Storm Over Mt. Meru 1993

Curator: Before us, we have "Storm Over Mt. Meru," a linocut print crafted in 1993 by Carol Summers. It's a compelling piece of modernism, wouldn't you agree? Editor: Compelling indeed. My first thought goes to stage design. It feels like the backdrop for some ancient myth, all simmering tension and vibrant hues. Like a dark fairy tale ready to unfold! Curator: Note how Summers employs abstraction to evoke the landscape, replacing literal representation with geometric shapes and suggestive forms. Consider the power of the two indigo masses looming over the verdant mountain, creating an atmosphere pregnant with the imminence of the storm. Editor: Right? And those elegant crimson lines slicing through the indigo like bolts of pent-up energy just barely contained. Honestly, those colors hum together. They have a life of their own! Makes you wonder what Summers felt while making this—that mountain sitting alone… were they sympathetic to its situation? Curator: Interesting reflection. A formal reading might view those colors as purely structural elements – their purpose being to establish contrast, rhythm, and a dynamic tension across the surface of the print. Summers's application of translucent inks gives this linocut a watercolor-like effect, which is particularly intriguing. Editor: You're so right—I hadn't clocked that translucent element—it adds another layer to it! That sense of light battling the encroaching gloom—that the mountain might, by some miracle, avoid the coming storm. Curator: I’m captivated by how Summers has mastered linocut's intrinsic qualities of line and form to present not a replica but an evocative distillation of nature's grand forces. Editor: And it really sticks with you. I’m left considering how nature will persist whether humans take the time to note and appreciate it or not. Thanks for the reading, I really see so much more in the linocut now. Curator: The pleasure was all mine; it’s always stimulating to analyze a work as nuanced as "Storm Over Mt. Meru." I shall leave considering the sheer control Summers' held over their artistry to translate their feelings on nature into pure abstraction.